Radial Neuropathy, or "Saturday Night Palsy," happens when the radial nerve gets damaged or compressed. This nerve starts in the armpit and runs down the back of your arm to your hand, helping control movements like straightening your fingers and wrist, and sensing touch in parts of your hand.

If the radial nerve gets pressed or injured, you might notice weakness in your wrist or fingers, which can make it hard to grip things. You might also feel numbness or a tingling sensation in your hand or notice a sharp or aching pain.

This condition can happen if you accidentally fall asleep with your arm in a funny position, get injured around your arm, use crutches incorrectly, or put too much repetitive pressure on your arm. Health issues like diabetes or exposure to certain toxins can also cause nerve problems.

To treat radial neuropathy, you usually start with resting the arm and might need medications to ease the pain. Physical therapy can help build strength and flexibility. If the nerve damage is severe or doesn’t improve, surgery might be needed to relieve pressure on the nerve.

For extreme cases and uncontrollable pain, peripheral nerve stimulation—an implantable device that delivers mild electrical pulses to targeted nerves—or spinal cord stimulation, which modulates pain signals before they reach the brain, may be considered long-term treatment options. Without treatment, the symptoms might become permanent, so it’s important to address it quickly!